Method of packaging nursery stock



Sept; 9, 1958 J. P. EUBANK, JR 2,350,842

METHOD OF PACKAGING NURSERY S TOCK 4 Filed Feb. 27, 1956 l j INVENTOR A Joseph P. Eubank, Jr.

ATTORNEY j iinited States Patent G METHOD OF PACKAGING NURSERY STOCK Joseph P. Eubank, Jr., Cape Charles, Va.

Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 567,988

Claims. (Cl. 47-58) This invention relates to plant husbandry and more particularly to covering and package for the body of material surrounding the roots of specimens of drug nursery stock, and methods of packaging.

The packaging of nursery stock is best carried on rapidly due to a number of factors which range from taking advantage of certain relatively short periods in the year when nursery stock is best dug and shipped, to the need of preventing drying out of the ball of earth or the like surrounding the roots of dug nursery stock.

An important object of this invention is to provide a nursery stock covering which may be quickly applied to form a package and thus will permit rapid handling of dug nursery stock to prevent drying out and to increase the quantity of stock which may be packaged for shipment and the like within a given time.

While laborers may be taught to dig nursery stock with a ball of earth surrounding the roots, they often do not understand the best methods necessary to surround the ball of earth with a covering. Sometimes the ball of earth is heavy or unwieldly and it requires throught and many manipulations to get the covering under the ball of earth and then around it and secure the covering against loosening. This diificulty is not only encountered in the use of the more or less shapeless conventional burlap sacking which is often secured in place by nails used as pins, but also in the complicated packaging devices of shaped sheets or bags of material with accompanying ties or the like.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a nursery stock package, including a shaped covering for the ball of earth, which may be readily applied without any complicated manipulations and without lifting the nursery stock in order to position the covering under the ball of earth.

In packaging the dug up balls of earth surrounding the roots of nursery stock, it is desirable to disturb, as little as possible, the earth, so it will not be shaken from the compact feeding root systems, induced to form by nursery practices.

An important object of the invention is to provide a package which is formed to disturb, as little as possible, the earth surrounding the feeding roots as well as to avoid disturbing the roots themselves.

A further'important object is to provide a method of rapidly packaging the ball of earth or body of other material surrounding the roots of dug nursery stock to prevent drying out or disturbing the roots during shipment, etc., and which method is readily understood.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this disclosure, and in which drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the spread out covering portion of the preferred covering means of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section, on a slightly enlarged 2,850,842 Patented Sept. 9, 1958 22 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are views partly in vertical section and partly in elevation illustrating steps in the method of packaging the ball of earth or the like surrounding the roots of specimens of dug nursery stock.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate correspond ing parts throughout the several views the covering means is designated as A; dug nursery stock, B; a zone C from which the nursery stock is dug, and D the packaged assembly of covering means A and nursery stock B.

The covering means A comprises a covering portion 10 which is preferably a length or sheet of suitable-flexible substantially imperforate material, as burlap, canvas, heavy paper and the like and securing and sling means 11 which may be lengths of suitable flexible material as string, cord or rope, providing, in part, ties.

The covering portion 10 is preferably a polygonal, as oblong, sheet with end parts 12 and 13, each provided with substantially paralleling end edges 14 and with the side edge parts 15 doubled over to form hemmed side edges 16 substantially normal to the edges '13. The side edge parts 15 may be secured as by stitches 17.

Extending through and outwardly of each open end of each hem is a securing means 6. One end portion of each length maybe formed into an eye 20 and this eye is disposed closely adjacent the end part 12 but the other end portion 21 of each length extends a considerable distance beyond the other end part 13. For example each length may extend outwardly of the adjacent hem a distance equal to approximately one-and-one-half times the length of the covering portion 10.

Referring now to the steps in the method of packaging the ball or body 25 hereinafter called body, of'material, as earth and/or mulching material, surrounding the root system of dug nursery stock B which body 25 may be still in the earthcavity 26 surrounding the body 25 .but spaced from the walls of the cavity. Such a cavity is generally wider at its mouth andthe walls slope inwardly to some extent.

As a first step one of the coveringmeans A is provided of an area as large as the combinedarea of the upper surface 27, side surface 28 and bottom surface 29 .of the body 25. The body 25 is tilted on its bottom surface 29 as in Fig. 3 and with apart of its side surface against a portion of the surface of the cavity 26, whereupon the edgepart 12 of the covering portion 10 is positioned over the uppermost part of the tilted upper surface 27 and the adjacent intermediate part of the covering portion is positioned .over the adjacent part of .the side surface 28 and extended downwardly to and over the exposed portion of the bottom surface 29. At this point the other intermediate part andthe other edge part 13 of the covering portion are gathered together into an overlapped narrow length 30. For convenience this length 30 may be a roll, as in Fig. 3. The length 30 is tucked as far as possible under the tilted body 25. 'Therieupon, the body 25 is tilted in the opposite direction, as in Fig. 4, against the opposite portion of the surface of the cavity 26 and thus rolled or tilted over the length 30 until the latter is'free of the bottom surface 29 and the length 30 may then be unrolled and spread over the still uncovered bottom surface 29, and side surface 28 and'the edge part 13 positioned over the uncovered part of the upper surface 27. Finally, the covering portion 10 is secured against accidental uncovering by employing the securing and slin means 11.

The means 11 may be manipulated as follows: Theend portions 21 are threaded through the corresponding eyes 20 and .drawn therethrough to their limits in order to cause puckering or gathering of the side edge parts 15 substantially as one is shown in Fig. 5. The end portions 21 are then carried upwardly, looped or wound around the base of the trunk, branches or stem of the specimen of nursery stock and then carried downwardly, in opposite directions, longitudinally over the outer face of the covering portion 10, crossed and carried upwardly in opposite directions transversely over the outer face of the covering portion and tied together at the base of the trunk, branches or stem.

This method provides a rapid and safe one for packaging the lower portions of dug specimens of nursery stock, employing a covering means A particularly adapted for progressive covering of the body of material about the roots of a specimen of nursery stock without the necessity of lifting the specimen in order to position a part of a covering portion under the body of material.

The specific securing and sling means 11 makes provision for securing the covering portion about the body 25 of material surrounding the roots and also provides a sling for use when lifting the specimen from a cavity 26 and during transporting, etc.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Method of packaging a compact body of material, having an upper surface, side surface and bottom surface and surrounding the roots of a specimen of dug nursery stock, which comprises the steps of forming a flexible covering portion as large in area as the combined areas of said surfaces; tilting said compact body of material on its bottom surface; positioning one edge part of said covering portion over the uppermost part of said upper surface and one intermediate part of said covering portion over one part of said sidesurface adjacent said uppermost part and said bottom surface and extending to and over the exposed portion of said bottom surface; gathering the other intermediate part and other edge part of said covering portion into an overlapped narrow length and disposing said length beneath the exposed portion of said bottom surface to provide a fulcrum; tilting said compact body of material over said overlapped narrow length in a direction opposite the first tilting direction of movement until said overlapped narrow length is free of said bottom surface; unfolding said overlapped narrow length; positioning said other intermediate part to cover the remaining uncovered bottom and side surfaces of said compact body of material and said other edge part over the remaining uncovered upper surface; and securing said covering portion against accidental uncovering.

2. Method of packaging a compact body of material, having an upper surface, side surface and bottom surface and surrounding the roots of a specimen of dug nursery stock, which comprises the steps of forming a flexible covering portion as large in area as the combined areas of said surfaces; tilting said compact body of material on its bottom surface; positioning one edge part of said covering portion over the uppermost part of said upper surface and one intermediate part of said covering portion over one part of said side surface adjacent said uppermost part and said bottom surface and extending to and over the exposed portion of said bottom surface; rolling the other intermediate part and other edge part of said covering portion into and elongated narrow roll and disposing said roll beneath the exposed portion of said bottom surface to provide a fulcrum; tilting said compact body of material over said elongated narrow roll in a direction opposite the first tilting direction of movement until said elongated narrow roll is free of said bottom surface; unrolling said narrow roll; positioning said other intermediate part to cover the remaining uncovered bottom and side surfaces of said compact body of material and said other edge part over the remaining uncovered upper surface;

and securing said covering portion against accidental uncovering.

3. Method of packaging without lifting a compact body of material, having an upper surface, side surface and bottom surface and surrounding the roots below the above-ground portion of a specimen of dug nursery stock, which comprises the steps of forming a flexible covering portion as large in area as the combined areas of said surfaces; tilting said compact body of material on its bottom surface; positioning one edge part of said covering portion over the uppermost part of said upper surface and one intermediate part of said covering portion over one part of said side surface adjacent said uppermost part and said bottom surface and extending to and over the exposed portion of said bottom surface; gathering the other intermediate part and other edge part of said covering portion into an overlapped narrow length and disposing said length beneath the exposed portion of said bottom surface; tilting said compact body of material over said overlapped narrow length in a direction opposite the first tilting direction of movement until said overlapped narrow length is free of said bottom surface; unfolding said overlapped narrow length; positioning said other intermediate part to cover the remaining uncovered bottom and side surfaces of said compact body of material and said other edge part over the remaining uncovered upper surface; drawing together the edge parts of said covering portion; and supporting the lower part of said covering portion from said above-ground portion.

4. Method of packaging without lifting a compact body of material, having an upper surface, side surface and bottom surface and surrounding the roots below the above ground portion of a specimen of dug nursery stock while disposed in an earth cavity larger in size than the size of said body of material, which comprises the steps of forming a flexible covering portion as large in area as the combined areas of said surfaces; tilting said compact body of material, on its bottom surface, against a surface of the wall of said cavity; positioning one edge part of said covering portion over the uppermost part of said upper surface and one intermediate part of said covering portion over one part of said side surface adjacent said uppermost part and said bottom surface and extending to and over the exposed portion of said bottom surface; gathering the other intermediate part and other edge part of said covering portion into an overlapped narrow length and disposing said length beneath the exposed portion of said bottom surface; tilting said compact body of material over said overlapped narrow length in a direction opposite the first tilting direction of movement until said overlapped narrow length is free of said bottom surface and a portion of the covered part of said body of material contacts the opposite surface of the wall of said cavity; unfolding said overlapped narrow length; positioning said other intermediate part to cover the remaining uncovered bottom and side surfaces of said compact body of material and said other edge part over the remaining uncovered upper surface; and securing said covering portion against accidental uncovering.

5. Method of packaging without lifting a compact body of material, having an upper surface, side surface and bottom surface and surrounding the roots below the above ground portion of a specimen of dug nursery stock disposed in an earth cavity larger in size than the size of said body of material, which comprises the steps of forming a flexible covering portion as large in area as the combined areas of said surfaces; tilting said compact body of material, on its bottom surface, against a surface of the wall of said cavity; positioning one edge part of said covering portion over the uppermost part of said upper surface and one intermediate part of said covering portion over one part of said side surface adjacent said uppermost part and said bottom surface and extending to and over the exposed portion of said bottom surface;

gathering the other intermediate part and other edge part of said covering portion into an overlapped narrow length and disposing said length beneath the exposed portion of said bottom surface; tilting said compact body of material over said overlapped narrow length in a direction opposite the first tilting direction of movement until said overlapped narrow length is free of said bottom surface and a portion of the covered part of said body of material contacts the opposite surface of the wall of said cavity; unfolding said overlapped narrow length along the "bottom and side of said cavity; positioning said other intermediate part to cover the remaining uncovered bottom and side surfaces of said compact body of mate rial and said other edge part over the remaining uncovered upper surface; securing said covering portion against accidental uncovering; and providing a sling be- 6 neath the outer surface of the bottom part of said covering portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 614,807 Gregory Nov. 22, 1898 835,585 Ufimann Nov. 13, 1906 986,390 Hill Mar. 7, 1911 1,068,066 Martin July 22, 1913 1,269,276 Harris June 11, 1918 1,464,534 Lovett Aug. 14, 1923 1,827,447 Willmore Oct. 13, 1931 1,871,101 Waltz Aug. 9, 1932 2,097,929 Lovett Nov. 2, 1937 2,600,300 Katz June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,850 ,842 September 9 1958 Joseph Pu Eubank, Jra

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification I of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 1'7, for "drug" read dug column 3, line 66, for

"and", first occurrence, read an a Signed and sealed this 18th day of November 1958.,

' Attest:

KARL AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Oflicer Commissioner of Patents 

